Jay Rodgers continues inspirational return with highest point total in 3 years as CCSU beats Stonehill

Jay Rodgers (1) led Central Connecticut with 21 points and six assists as Blue Devils defeated Stonehill Thursday. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

By Connor Wilson (@Conman_815)

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. — When you checked the NCAA men’s basketball stats page this morning as one does, you probably noticed the leaders in assists per game.

Purdue’s Braden Smith and Jeremy Fears, Jr. of Michigan State are the floor generals of two Top 10 teams in the country out of the Big Ten, so you’d expect them to be in the top two spots. Fourth is Christian Anderson, who is enjoying a phenomenal season for a Top 15 Texas Tech squad.

But who is third?

Central Connecticut’s Jay Rodgers, of course.

The fifth-year guard missed essentially two years from early December 2023 until his return at the start of this season with injury issues. Head coach Patrick Sellers considered his point guard a fellow coach during his time on the pine, growing in certain aspects of the game that most players don’t get the opportunity to.

“Sitting out those two years and watching those two teams, watching what was good and successful, he learned so much as a player,” Sellers said. “Now we get the residuals from that and it's like we have a coach playing basketball for us.”

Rodgers has been playing some of his best basketball as of late, with the Blue Devils fully shifted into NEC mode into the new year. CCSU picked up its second straight win at home, knocking off Stonehill, 76-69, on Thursday in New Britain. Rodgers scored 21 points, his highest point total since he dropped 24 in mid-February 2023 against, coincidentally, Stonehill.

“Nobody really knows how much work I put in to get to this point, how much rehab that was every day and continuous,” Rodgers said. “It’s really rewarding when you have nights like this.”

The playmaking took a backseat on Thursday, but he still ended up notching six assists. Coming into Thursday’s game, he was averaging 7.6 dimes per contest, led by his 14-point, 14-assist night in CCSU’s loss to conference favorite LIU in the Blue Devils’ league opener. The chemistry that Rodgers has built with his teammates on and off the court has been instrumental to the success he’s had.

“It’s been amazing,” Darin Smith, Jr. said. “I’ve been able to score wherever I want with him finding me.”

Smith has enjoyed a breakout campaign as well, and scored a game-high 22 points against the Skyhawks, but it wouldn’t be possible without the play of his point guard. A majority of Rodgers’ now 105 assists on the season have been to Smith and big man Max Frazier. Smith has scored in a variety of ways, on the perimeter or cutting to the basket, while a lot of Frazier’s have been lobs, sometimes from near half-court in transition.

Turnovers have plagued Rodgers early on in NEC play (at least four in every game after getting to that number just once in non-conference play), but he still impacts the game in other aspects. The Blue Devils were having trouble with the Skyhawks’ pressure late trying to inbound the ball, and it was Rodgers who was able to power through and get the team out of trouble.

“Jay got used to their drop coverage and them taking away the perimeter guys,” Sellers said. “Sometimes it happens when you have a team full of IQ guys that know how to play, they get cute.”

Rodgers’ journey is truly one that doesn’t have enough appreciation. In today’s day and age, having a player grow in a program while sitting out and not transferring away is very unique, and the results have proven to benefit nicely. Having a clear role as the lead distributor helps as well, seeing it allows him to know exactly what he’s getting himself into each and every game.

“It’s definitely been a long time coming,” Rodgers said. “Sitting out for two years and coming in with a certified role helps me out a lot. The coaching staff is trusting in me a lot this year to be the point guard. I thank God for how far I’ve come.”

Part of his return to the court was practicing and learning from one of the greats at a similar build. Fellow undersized lefty point guard Mike Conley worked with Rodgers this past summer in Ohio, where both are from. He helped polish his game and add new areas that have allowed the success he’s had this year.

“I’m happy for him knowing how much work he put in,” Sellers said. “He went home and got to work out with Mike Conley, Jr. in Ohio last summer, and he taught him a lot of stuff. You can see how improved he is.”

CCSU looks to extend its winning streak to three on Saturday when the Blue Devils travel to Syracuse to take on Le Moyne, knowing how critical it is to pick up victories in a competitive NEC.

“We want to stack wins, every win is important,” Rodgers said. “We think we have a good chance to do big things in this league. We lost the first game to LIU, but we believe we could have won that game.”